


To Hell and Back

by ExtremeEvil95



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Bioware didn't provide me with the emotions I needed so yeah fixed it, Emotional Mess™, I don't know what to say my dudes I just have a lot of emotions when it comes to these characters, Implied Liam/Sara, M/M, Quintin may be falling just a tiny bit for Reyes, Quintin needs a break, Sarah & Quintin are the Sweetest™, pretty true to canon but with slight turns of course, some fluff some emotions not much plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-21 02:51:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10676163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtremeEvil95/pseuds/ExtremeEvil95
Summary: Pathfinder Quintin Ryder and his crew succeeded in taking down the Archon and found the new home for humanity and their allies thanks to Meridian. Everything that they've worked so hard for to achieve became reality and Quintin can hardly understand that any of it's actually real. Where does the team go from this, and to where?The fic about the ending no one asked for, contains obvious spoilers so if you haven't finished the game and want to keep things in the dark, you've been warned!! x





	To Hell and Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again everyone!!
> 
> I should've gone to bed half an hour ago, but I really wanted to finish this before so yeah, I haven't fixed it but I'll get back to it and edit the errors in the morning: so excited to share this with you all so don't care about the mistakes at the moment to be fair!!
> 
> I loved ME:A, but well, the lack of Reyes' content in the end made me quite sad so I came up with some of my own. I feel like I have to say that I haven't written anything even close to sexual in like, at least five years, and I'm not really comfortable with writing it in a way that has loads of details and such, so that's why the scene may be a little short and not very graphic for some of your tastes, so yeah, sorry for that!!
> 
> Other than that, I'd like to say that I'm pretty happy with how this turned out and I hope that you guys enjoy it as well!
> 
> Feel free to hit me up on my tumblr if you want to scream at me about Reyes & Quintin or about ME in general, [here's the link!](http://gustavtomasbruce.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy and please leave a kudo or a comment if you liked it! x
> 
> EDIT: I've gone over the thing now and fixed the most obvious mistakes. English is not my first language so grammatical errors may occur, hopefully nothing too bad. x

After spending 600 years in cryo, Quintin thought he’d never feel tired again. There was so much to see: places to go, people to meet, experiences to live, how would he possibly be able to feel anything but excited ever again?

It didn’t take that long, not long at all, before the Andromeda galaxy proved to be a lot more challenging than what he first expected it to be. Not even a day in and he lost his father and his sister was stuck in cryo: he was alone in a new, strange galaxy without any clue of what he should do.

Quintin couldn’t help but think about the first time he reached the Nexus as the group made their way back to the entrance. It felt like an eternity since him, Liam and Cora entered the dark station, relieved about being alive but anxious for answers about their situation. Little did they know that it was the first step in a journey that would take them all over the cluster, seeing things that would be with them for the rest of their lives. Both good and bad.

Things were a lot more uncertain back then. Thanks to him and the team, his fantastic crew and all of the allies they’ve made during the way, things were a lot more certain now with the Archon dead and the Hyperion parked here at Meridian.

A start, a good one to be fair.

 

”How you’re holding up?”

Sarah hissed a little when she tried to smile at her brother. That she still could keep herself upright and walk after what went down in the chamber was the true miracle here. Quintin knew that she was strong, not to mention stubborn, but this even surprised him. ”You know me Q, nothing more than a scratch. Feeling like a princess.” Her body trembled against his, Quintin using all of the power he had left to keep his sister from falling.

”Takes more than an evil kett fucker to bring a Ryder down,” Quintin agreed with a tired sigh. The rest of the group kept a little distance from the twins, letting them catch up on their own. Peebee and Jaal kept walking ahead of them, talking quietly to one another. Jaal had his hand on the asari’s shoulder, a comforting touch. ”How’s the head?”

Sarah laughed, a bit dry and out of breath. ”It feels like I’m about to explode, wouldn’t recommend it.”

Quintin held onto his sister a little tighter. He tried to increase their pace, but it was obvious that Sarah couldn’t take much more of this. She weren’t fully recovered from the coma yet, to put her through this whole spectacle were lightyears ahead of what she needed. 

If the Archon weren’t already dead, Quintin could’ve killed him again simply for doing this to Sarah. 

”Believe me, I know how it feels,” Quintin admitted. Adrenaline and just knowing that they weren’t haunted by the kett for the moment were the only things keeping him going. That and to keep his sister safe.

And Reyes. 

When he heard Reyes’ voice over the comms, he hadn’t known what to do with himself. There was so much going on, so much that depended on him, and to hear Reyes being there, with him through it all, was almost too much to bear. He didn’t know if the man was still alive or not, their connection with the comms gave in during their battle with the Archon. 

Quintin didn’t want to think about the other alternative. Not now, not after this victory.

”How are _you_ holding up, Q?” Sarah panted hard after every word, gritting her teeth to avoid showing in how much pain she truly was.

”I’m alive, Sarah, that’s what matters right now,” the Pathfinder said quietly. He didn’t want to worry his sister when she was in this state with the truth: it could wait until they both had slept for a week or so. ”We can talk about this later. SAM, where’s Lexi at?”

”Lexi’s waiting by the entrance with the others, Pathfinder,” SAM informed. The AI still weren’t fully there, but Quintin could still communicate with him to some extent. ”I suggest you get there as soon as possible.”

”Hey, Ryder!”

Quintin frowned a little at the sound of Liam’s voice. The young soldier hadn’t been with them when they hit the Archon, he’d been out in the front with the others, but here he was, jogging towards them without as much as scratch on his suit. 

Liam threw Sarah’s other arm around his shoulders: Quintin could feel some of the weight ease off and a jolt of relief spread through him. He looked over at the man he considered to be one of his closest friends, sharing a silent ”thank you” before they more or less lifted Sarah from the ground and sprinted back to the entrance.

The inside of the Meridian’s heart was remarkable in every sense of the word. It would be a true pleasure to explore it fully and then to see what the scientists could make of it, but all that could wait for now.

Quintin just wanted to get out.

 

Lexi took over from Quintin as soon as the group reached the entrance. Tired smiles exchanged between them, the doctor ignoring how battered the Pathfinder looked to instead focus on the woman barely able to stand.

Sarah kept looking at her younger brother over her shoulder. It was easy to see that she didn't like leaving him behind, Quintin smiled at her and hoped she would take it as a sign that everything would be fine. They were both in safe hands now.

Liam helped Lexi with Sarah, other than that where most of the crew standing there in front of the Pathfinder, looking as worn out as Quintin felt inside. There was no hint of sadness on either of his friends’ faces, so he let himself relax for not more than a moment. 

He still didn’t know where Reyes was.

 

Quintin felt a bang of desperation flood into his stomach as he swept over the crowd, searching after one man in particular. He saw friends and allies, all smiling and looking at him like he just handed them the world - which, in some way, he just did- but neither of them were the face he needed to see.

He had to steady himself against a crate, holding onto it so hard that his knuckles hurt. Everything rushed over him, guilt and sadness because what if Reyes had died? What if they never got to see what the future had in store for them together, just because the guy had to come to Quintin’s aid like this?

Quintin would never forgive himself it that was the case. Too many people had died at his watch already, he didn’t want to know how many lives they lost here today. Not Reyes though, please not Reyes…

By the end of the crowd, Quintin spotted him.

Banged up, sure, with a black bruise spread over the left eye and scratches along the jaw that looked irritatingly red against the Charlatan’s skin, but alive. _Alive. Alive._

Their eyes locked for a moment and it felt like the whole world stopped spinning. He could drown in those eyes, from the looks of it seemed like Reyes thought the same thing about the Pathfinder’s.

Quintin could’ve collapsed onto the ground right there and then. The relief was overwhelming, he had to close his eyes just to stop himself from crying right there at the spot. He felt like he had aged a 100 years over the last few minutes. _Reyes was there. Alive._

The need to go over there and pull the other man close was almost too much to fight, but there was a crowd of brave people that kept them separated. These people needed to know how grateful Ryder was, that he couldn’t have done any of this without their help. He truly was nothing without the help of his friends, after all.

”I know this is a victory for all of us,” he began, trying his best to make his voice sound loud enough for the whole group to hear him. His omni-tool helped broadcasting it to the nearby ships, feeling a wave of pride explode inside of him at the mere thought of the army of people whom have gathered here today to help him win this fight. The faith people had in him could be crushing, mostly were, but after a victory like this, it carried him over and beyond all expectations. ”The Archon is dead and Meridian is secure from the kett. This is the home we’ve been looking for, the home _humanity_ have been searching after since the day we reached this galaxy.

Meridian is what we where promised before we left, it’s the dream of a better future. This is a victory we all share today: without any of you, this wouldn’t have been possible. We’re _all_ pathfinders, one way or another.”

Peebee flew over him as soon as he finished talking. She clung to him almost desperately, burying her head against the armour on Quintin’s shoulder. It was sincere, so real, Quintin held her too and he was so glad that he shared all of this with her. ”You’re a sentimental _prick,_ Ryder.”

Jaal joined them shortly afterwards, Quintin hadn’t even come up with a witty response before the angara pulled them both into a tight hug. There was limbs in the wrong places, awkward in some way, but Quintin needed this: he needed the intimacy, to know that they made it through all of this in one piece. 

”We did good, friends,” boomed Jaal and laughed loudly. His happiness sure was contagious, because Quintin couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He felt physically drained, every part of him hurt more and more as the adrenaline began to leave him, but it just felt so good to be able to smile and not worry about what tomorrow would bring for once.

”We did indeed,” he agreed with a soft sigh. From the corner of his eye he caught a movement, sensing that someone was approaching them. He turned just slightly and he knew even before he saw Reyes fully that it was the Charlatan whom headed their way.

 

Quintin excused himself from the embrace, his friends sharing a knowing look behind his back as he went to meet Reyes in the middle. He wanted to crack a joke, show Reyes that he was okay, but instead did he practically fall into the smuggler’s arms.

Reyes, whom had looked so collected and smug in the crowd, let the mask slip off: it showed a man that had nothing in order. He threw his arms around Quintin’s slightly taller frame, pulling the Pathfinder against his chest instead of the other way around as Quintin thought it’d be earlier. The man in question didn’t mind it, he slummed against Reyes’ chest and felt how every strain of sanity flew out the window. 

There was no way in hell that they both still could be alive. Quintin must be dreaming, this couldn’t be real.

”I’m here, Q, it’s okay, you’re safe,” it was like Reyes knew what Quintin was thinking, could see the disbelief and exhaustion written over every sharp line. His voice was thick with something, it almost sounded like Reyes was the one crying and not the other way around.

The Pathfinder pulled himself back just an inch to be able to look at the other man’s face. Tears, warm and full with so many emotions, rolled down Reyes’ cheeks, the sight of it so painfully beautiful that Quintin felt himself break even more from simply gazing. He didn’t care that his hands probably smelled like ammunition and blood, his clothed fingers gently caressed the tears away.

Reyes’ eyelids fluttered shut at the soft touch. ”I.. I thought I’d lose you. Permanently this time.” His voice broke, every lie this man had ever told Quintin meant nothing because this truth - _this honesty_ \- made up for all the wrongs. There was truth glimmering in the tears, if Quintin leaned forward and kissed Reyes he’d probably be able to taste the truth on the other man’s lips.

”We’re both here, both of us alive,” Quintin coaxed. ”When I didn’t hear you over the comms, I thought you were the one being dead.” He did lean in closer, just to let his lips linger against Reyes’ forehead.

People kept talking around them, but it was all muffled. They were in their own bubble, nothing could disturb them here. Quintin wanted to remain here with Reyes for the rest of his life, but he needed to make sure that Sarah was doing okay.

”We need to stop meeting like this,” Reyes said, trying to laugh but it sounded more sad than anything. ”I don’t know why I’m crying because we _won._ Q, you just saved this goddamn galaxy.”

”Didn’t you hear a single thing of my speech, Vidal? It’s not just me that did this, without the help of my crew and literally everyone here I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” Ryder exclaimed, smiling as wide as he could. His hands were cupped around Reyes’ face, because the Charlatan needed to understand just how much he meant in all of this. There was no one else whom had helped Quintin fall asleep at night, and that truly meant the world to the Pathfinder. ”You’ve helped _me,_ so much, Reyes.”

Reyes managed to smirk. Small and delicate, before he closed the distance between them and kissed the startled Pathfinder like both of their lives depended on it. This would’ve happened sooner or later, but it still took Quintin a bit off guard. Desperate fingers roamed over his neck, tangling themselves with the short, messy hair. The same desperation after closure could be seen in the kiss: Reyes opened his mouth a little, pushing himself a bit forward so they were pressed up against one another. The armour could literally be anywhere but here in Quintin’s opinion, because he couldn’t feel Reyes properly with this thing still on. He wanted to give the man everything, this whole new world. 

”I… I need to make sure that Sarah’s okay,” Quintin whispered once the kiss ended. There was hardly any space between them, the youngest Ryder could feel Reyes’ breath against his lips still and it made him want this so much more. ”Please, come and find me when things have settled down a bit. Please.”

”Of course, I’m always up for the chase,” Reyes said softly, letting his lips ghost gently over Quintin’s one more time. 

”I thought you said before that you were too shy to chase anyone?” the Pathfinder smiled, raising his eyebrow in a rather amused manner.

”If I’m chasing after you, Q, I’d go to hell and back just to find you again.”

 

*~*

 

Quintin stood outside the doors to that lead to the medbay for a good five minutes before he dared himself to get inside. There were so many scenarions rushing for his head, one worse than the other, but if Sarah had died during the time they spent apart just now, shouldn’t SAM have contacted him in some way? He was just being paranoid.

Lexi noticed him as soon as he got in through the doors. She quickly excused herself from her colleagues and went towards the Pathfinder, pulling him in for a quick hug. The concerned frown gracing her features wouldn’t go away any time soon, Quintin knew that she would be on him like a hawk once things have settled down a bit and the patients in much worse shapes than his had received their treatment.

”Where’s Sarah?” Quintin asked. He looked around the room and couldn’t find a sign of his sister, her clear, blue hair usually gave her away. ”Is she okay?”

Lexi nodded. ”She’s alright, given the circumstances. It’ll take time for her to get back to normal, she needs to rest, Ryder.”

Quintin sighed in pure relief. His mind was rushing at full speed, but knowing that Sarah was okay? That gave him some comfort. ”I understand. Where is she? Is it okay if I go and see how she is for myself?” He simply wanted to see his sister, truly make sure that things were okay. Trusting Lexi was natural, but if he wanted to be able to sleep tonight, he needed to at least take a look at his sister.

”We moved her to a separate room, Harry’s with her at the moment. I can show you where she is if you want?” Lexi offered.

”That.. that sounds great, Lexi, I’d really appreciate that. There’s just something I need to check here first, meet me by the doors in ten minutes?” Quintin gave the doctor’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before he moved past her, venturing further into the medbay and towards where the stasis pods where. He needed to make sure that his mum’s pod was okay, so much could’ve happened to it during the landing.

 

The pod remained where Quintin had last seen it. From the looks of it, the pod seemed intact and in a working condition. Quintin placed his hand against the front, closing his eyes and hoping that his mother somehow sensed his presence. He wanted her to know that he was there, alive and well: he wanted her to know about everything.

God, he missed her.

”Hi mom,” he whispered. ”We found a home for us, Sarah and me. Once we find treatment for you, you’ll have a whole new world to wake up to, just like dad wanted. You’ll love it, it’s truly a sight for sore eyes. I hope you’ll be with us soon, I love you.”

He gave the pod a soft pat before he turned to leave. As he kept walking, he threw glances back over his shoulder at the pod: a part of him hoped that his mom would step out of it and come after him, even if it meant that it’d trigger her disease. He missed having his family around, he missed Ellen so much that it hurt.

Lexi didn’t ask any questions. She placed her hand on Quintin’s back and helped him moving forward.

 

*~*

 

Sarah were still awake when Lexi and Quintin reached her room. She looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment, her breathing all slow and steady, when they came in she sat up a little more straight and looked happy to see them.

”Tell me if something happens, she’s still in a fragile state,” Lexi stated before leaving the siblings alone. Quintin couldn’t help but snort at the comment, Lexi should be thankful that Sarah didn’t hear any of it.

”I wondered when you’d show up, Q,” Sarah said with a gentle smile curving her lips. The bottom one were a little busted, but she could still pull off a smirk like no one else could. ”Come, sit.”

Quintin obeyed without hesitation. As he sat down, he felt himself melt against the mattress. How long had he been on his feet? It felt like he’d never sat down before in his life, when all of this was over he’d sleep for the rest of the year.

”I heard from Harry that you did a pretty good speech up there, sad that I missed it,” Sarah sighed. There was some dirt stuck on Quintin’s armour, just a tiny bit, she tried her hardest to remove it with her shaky fingers. 

_Both_ of them truly needed to sleep for a whole year. 

”Harry’s just being nice, really wasn’t that good,” Quintin admitted. He slid backwards to lean against the headboard. In this armour every move felt out of place when he wasn’t in the middle of a battle, he should’ve changed before he got here. ”Went to tell mom about this, I know she can’t hear me but.. still, I wanted her to know.”

”Mom would’ve flipped if she knew what we’ve been up to,” Sarah stated. ”That Archon son of a bitch was lucky that he didn’t have to deal with _her._ ”

Quintin couldn’t stop the laugh from building up in his throat. ”Mom would’ve fucking _destroyed_ him, kind of sad that it turned out like this instead, not every day mom goes berserker on someone. Remember when you brought that Turian home, the one whom kept bragging about how good he was in bed?”

”Don’t even bring that up, Q -”

”Mom’s face when he called you a bitch, like, that’s one of those things I’ll always remember. Hell, I wanted to kick his teeth in but _mom,_ I’m glad we have her on our side,” the Pathfinder finished with a breathless laugh.

”Worst boyfriend ever,” Sarah agreed, laughing as well. ”I miss mom so fucking much. Can’t believe dad never told us that she was still alive.”

”He had his reasons, he was more stubborn than you after all,” Quintin pointed out. He had tried to be more like their dad when he was younger, when he still was in the Alliance: it was hard to make a name for yourself when your dad was Alec Ryder, so he tried to use it to better himself, to act like someone people could find hope in.

When things turned south and both him and Sarah lost their jobs and chances of good lives thanks to Alec, Quintin couldn’t understand how he’d ever want to be anything like his father. There was so much he wished he knew about Alec, thanks to SAM he was a step closer to understanding some of it, but still. All of these secrets were just tiring to keep up with.

”Well, it had to come from someone,” Sarah shot back. ”I just.. there’s so much we don’t know about this thing. Q, you haven’t even told me everything about what’s happened while I’ve been sleeping, if that’s not low I don’t know what is.”

”I’ll tell you everything, once you’re doing better. I promise,” Quintin pressed a soft kiss against Sarah’s hair, comforted by the mere fact that she still managed to smell sweet like strawberries after a day like this. There was hints of sweat radiating off them both, but Sarah weren’t nearly as bad as Quintin was.

Once he was back in his own quarters, he would barricade himself in the shower until he felt like himself again.

”I’ll even tell you about my boyfriend.”

Quintin kind of wished he’d have a camera at hand, because Sarah’s reaction was one for the books. She looked like she wanted to hug him and smack the shit of him at the same time, the look in her eyes telling him that he had made a terrible mistake not mentioning this sooner. 

”You’ve gotten yourself a _fucking boyfriend_ and you didn’t tell me about it, Quintin, what the fuck?!” Quintin knew Sarah by heart and managed to slip away and off the bed before she began hitting him, not that it would’ve hurt since she could barely keep herself seated at the moment. He smirked at her, even though there was a twist of something painful and sad in his chest from seeing her this way as she slid further down against the pillows: the only energetic thing about her in this moment was her eyes, the fire in all the blue would never stop burning.

”Didn’t seem relevant to bring it up when the galaxy’s gone to shit, really,” Quintin defended, a weak argument in both his own and Sarah’s eyes. ”I’ll bring him here some time, so you can meet him yourself.”

” _You better,”_ Sarah more or less commanded. She were practically lying down now, her eyelids falling shut as he slowly adjusted her position. ”What’s his name?”

”Reyes.”

Simply saying the name made Quintin’s heart flutter. He helped pull the blanket over Sarah’s body, making sure that she were properly tucked in for the time being. 

”I hope.. he knows that if he hurts you, I’mma end him.”

The Pathfinder snorted. He gently pushed a lock of hair behind Sarah’s ear, catching the moment she fell asleep by how her body finally relaxed. She looked so much younger in her sleep. ”He wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

*~*

 

There was something about taking a shower that put everything else to shame. Time turned into nothing while Quintin stood there beneath the gentle stream, slowly cleaning himself from the sweat, blood and filth of the past day’s battles. Bruises and wounds kept popping up here and there, one more gnarly looking than the other, no wonder why his body hurt so much.

Being alone did make him feel a little jittery. His connection with SAM wasn’t fully functioning yet, so he had every part of himself for _himself_ for now. He didn’t hate SAM in any way, but after what happened once the Archon had hacked his way into SAM and therefor into Quintin, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little scared about what the AI actually could do to him.

Living with this knowledge, that his heart could stop at any minute and his body could be used as a weapon against him, well, that was one of the heavier burdens to bear. He felt terrified in more ways than one, there was something with him that didn’t work quite right ever since his 2nd death back at the Archon’s ship.

There was so much that _hurt_ : both physically and mentally. Using the Remnant tech on his own, it messed him up. He could recall how it pulsed through his mind, every shockwave hurting and feeling like the definitive end to everything; Peebee and Jaal’s screams about how he would die if he pushed on.

Quintin didn’t die.

He stood here in a private bathroom back at the Hyperion, trying to regain some stability as he inspected his own reflection in the mirror. The dark, short hair hanged around his face in a damp mess of tangles: the circles around his eyes seemed permanent now after all the troubles he had sleeping lately, and he needed to shave since the stubble had started into a thin beard. Ragged was the word he would use to describe himself. 

Tired.

 

Quintin left the bathroom with trembling steps. He almost jumped out of his skin when he found someone sitting on his bed. Or, his father’s old bed. Alec Ryder’s quarters were Quintin’s now, but it didn't feel nowhere as personal as his room back at the Tempest.

Reyes usually was the one of them whom tended to look clean and like he actually cared about his appearance; it was a striking contrast to all of that to see the Charlatan sit on Quintin’s bed, looking just as much as a mess as he’d done the last time they saw each other.

The perfectly styled hair not staying in place, the bruises and the look in Reyes’ eyes: it was more than Quintin could take. He could’ve done many things at the same time in this moment: crying being the most logical one to be fair, but instead did he push all of his other needs away to focus on the one most urgent: the need to _feel_ something.

”Found you,” Reyes breathed out, offering the Pathfinder a smirk that sent the man spiralling with emotions he couldn’t handle. There was a glimpse of something so raw in Reyes’ eyes, Quintin felt almost hypnotised as he closed the distance between them in a few, long steps.

The same rawness could be found on Reyes’ lips: he kissed Quintin like every kiss was a call out for help, a man being on the verge of his dying breath. He left marks along the Pathfinder’s throat while Quintin struggled to get the armour off Reyes’ body, desperate to touch what was hiding beneath it.

Quintin’s simple tee and boxers soon returned to the floor, along with all of the layers armour Reyes had been wearing. He could barely focus on anything but Reyes: the Charlatan’s hands, lips, thighs, everything was driving Quintin out of his mind.

Reyes pulled him closer, pressing sloppy kisses along Quintin’s jaw as the world seemed to stop around them. Quintin let his fingers dig into Reyes’ thigh as he slid inside of the smaller man, causing them both to tremble and gasp for more.

Every move took them to the edge and back again. Quintin gasped over how his body hurt whenever Reyes touched him, the bruises and wounds itching and stinging but mixed with the pure, ecstatic pleasure it felt _right._ He needed to feel this, _feel Reyes,_ because this was as close to Heaven as Quintin could possibly get. 

Every kiss was a promise of so much more, Reyes stole the breath out of Quintin’s lungs and left a sweet, desperate taste on the Pathfinder’s tongue. 

They came together in a mess of sheets and tangled limbs. Quintin could barely keep himself upwards, Reyes carried them both more or less. His arms were shaking a bit now, he just needed to see the emotions painted over Reyes face: the lips, wet from all of their kissing and the eyes that glowed with such intensity that it sent Quintin over the edge again. And again.

There was nothing they could say that would make this moment any better. 

Quintin slid out and fell to the side, every ounce of energy leaving him be as he struggled to get control over his breathing. He wanted to fall asleep in Reyes’ arms, the place which he had made hishome.

Reyes got up and pulled Quintin up with him. He looked even more beautiful now, how that even could be possible was a mystery, with a lazy happiness settled in his features and a smirk covering his puffy lips. 

With a little help, Quintin found himself standing under the stream of water for the second time that night. This time on the other hand, he wasn’t standing there alone.

 

*~*

 

Quintin had almost fallen asleep when the door slid open. He stirred a little where he’s sprawled on the couch, covered by a thin blanket. A smile spread over his lips when he saw Reyes stand there in the doorway.

The Charlatan sighed as he made his towards the couch, glancing at Sarah whom was still asleep on the bed. Quintin wondered if Reyes saw something of him when he looked at Sarah: they had the same eyes, but it was hard to notice such a trait when Sarah had her eyes closed.

The couch became a bed for two. Reyes slid in behind the Pathfinder, letting Quintin rest against him as he gently cradled his fingers through the damp mess of hair on the taller man’s head.

”Need to make sure that nothings happens to her,” Quintin murmured quietly. This wasn’t the first time Reyes woke up to an empty with a missing Pathfinder. It truly was more unusual if it was the other way around.

”I know, Q” Reyes replied with a sigh. ”I know.”

 

*~*

 

Days turned into weeks.

The Hyperion came back to life: more people are brought back from cryo and there’s a hope for a better future lingering in the air. Quintin makes his rounds against the ship and outside of it, trying to make a map of humanity’s new home in his head. There’s so much to see and explore, it makes him feel a little dizzy just to think about it.

Most of the time, he sits by his sister’s bedside and makes sure that she’s okay. At first Sarah sleeps almost entire days, but she becomes more and more awake for every passing week. When she’s up, Quintin tells her about everything she missed out on while being in a coma. He tells her about the vaults, the worlds he’d seen and the people he’d met: everything she might be interested in hearing. Sometimes Liam or Cora come to help him out with pieces he’d forgotten about, Liam more likely to do so, and it felt normal to be able to talk like this again.

When Quintin isn’t by his sister’s side, Liam’s there to keep the Pathfinder from worrying. The younger Ryder wasn’t stupid, he noticed pretty early on how Liam looked at Sarah and understood that it might be more to it than what the specialist let on. Not that Quintin minded it in the slightest, he was happy to see the people he cared about finding happiness in any way they could.

 

Reyes remained there with him. It was easy to spot just how nervous the man was about meeting Sarah for the first time and not just be in the same room as her while she slept. Quintin felt almost as nervous himself, because if the two of them didn’t get along? Well, Quintin didn’t want to choose between them.

Sarah kept her guard up at first, Quintin had told her about Reyes lying about his identity after all, but the more she got to talk to Reyes, the more did she understand what Quintin saw in the man. She wasn’t impressed by any means, but she accepted that this was someone whom made her brother happy, and that was enough for her as well.

When Quintin asked her about Liam one night, she replied with a sincere ”none of your business, Q” but it was more telling than Sarah let on. The small smile on her face said it all, really.

 

*~*

 

Quintin knew that his team couldn’t stay on Meridian forever. He was the Pathfinder after all, and his job was far from over.

To celebrate their victory and to honour the lives lost in the battle, the people of Meridian decided to establish a holiday known as the ”Landing Day.” Quintin prepared the team for departing once the festivities where done, even though it felt bittersweet to leave the growing society behind. Sarah would remain here, and it felt tough to be leaving her behind.

Reyes needed to head back to Kadara again as well. That hurt just as much as leaving Sarah but for all the different reasons, Quintin had grown used to having the other man close: it was a sense of security that would be lost until they saw each other again.

It always hurt to say goodbye to someone, some more than others.

 

The Pathfinder stood by the railing and watched as the festivities progressed in front of him. He hadn’t heard this many laughs at the same place for a very long time, it made him feel all warm and soft inside. 

This was his people: they trusted him and he trusted them right back.

He took a sip of his drink, raising his glass in a greeting towards Drack when the krogan walked past him. His friend smiled widely at him, raising a bottle that probably contained something a lot stronger than what was inside of Quintin’s glass. The old bugger could drink him under the table any day of the week.

 

”So, I found a good storage room for us.”

Quintin snorted, taking another sip of his drink as he turned to look at his boyfriend. The smuggler looked as smug as ever with that familiar smirk in place and a glimpse of something mischievous dancing in those clear eyes of his. Life could never be boring with this man at his side.

”A storage room? You spoil me, Reyes.”

Reyes kept on smirking. ”It’ll be just like our first date, remember? Only better.” There was a lot left unsaid in that statement. Reyes let his fingers ghost over the front of Quintin’s shirt, every touch telling a whole other story instead of the playful one.

They would go their separate ways again once this day was finished, not knowing when and how they would meet again. Always living with the fear of getting a call about the other one not making it, it was far from ideal. 

Quintin could sense it, beneath the smirks and winks. He simply chose to ignore it for now, because they didn’t need to worry about the future when the now was so pleasing. ”Is that a serious offer I hear? Because if it is, I’d like to accept.”

Reyes laughed as he leaned forward to press a quick kiss against Quintin’s lips. ”For you, Pathfinder? Always.”


End file.
